Sea two Sea

Not done a lot of sea watching in my lifetime of birding, don't know why really, well I do but its not because it isn't good birding. 
Its all about studying and understanding weather patterns really, something I'm not that good at, beyond the very basics. 
Anyway Sunday 29th October looked quite promising, basically, so we headed for Beadnell Off we staggered from the car park, laden with cameras, deck chairs, telescopes sandwiches, flasks and far to many clothes across Beadnell bay, past the harbour and along to the scheduled ancient monument of Ebbas Nook. 
The site of a 12th or 13th century monastery. I always enjoy being in places like this for some reason.
Its a great place to settle down, shelter and watch seabirds too. 

Full morning from first light to after mid day spent huddled around our scopes, great views of Great Northern Diver, Sooty Shearwater some distant Great Skuas but was good enough but halfway through the morning Stewart got his eye on a Petrel, a Storm Petrel, my first ever in the field, I have seen them before by torchlight during ringing sessions but never as they should be seen, reasonable views too as it rounded the point heading north.

Gannets moving north past the point

 Excellent, morning done?... no

Social media alerted us to a White Billed Diver heading our way, seen past Whitburn. 
Now there's a timetable to follow that informs us approximately what time this bird will pass Beadnell Point, incredible, I've heard about this before but was keen to see if it would work, surely a second new bird was a formality here, especially since we had been joined by several additional pairs of eyes, very good ones too..

It didn't... White Billed Diver tracked up the coast and seen from every headland except the one we were sat on. Never mind.

A little bit quieter one week on, 5th November. The highlight for me on this seawatch wasn't a sea bird, a Woodcock was picked up far out at sea. Flying straight for me, it seemed. This bird was just completing a flight across the north sea, a metre or two ashore and it dropped down onto the rocks, right in front of us, We watched it for a while, taking clumsy snaps through the scope with phones.

A few Bottle Nosed Dolphins were surfacing offshore and some fabulous Long Tailed Duck in the harbour completed this visit.